Recording and reproducing system



1937- J. B. BROWNING RECORDING AND REPRODUCING SYSTEM Filed July 1, 1931 73/ y 3544. 0. 7 l 6 6 x! m J .27 t4 d Kg mmwf. w i 1 0 F. rJ 6 W Q 2 Z .2

John B Bfiowm'ny Mw $002142,

Attorneys.

Patented Feb. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RECORDING AND REPRODUCING SYSTEM John Bailey Browning, Camden, N. J.

Application July 1, 1931, Serial No. 548,143

9 Claims. (01. 274-46) One object of this invention is to provide an improved method for recording the vibrations corresponding to sound and/or light impulses separately or simultaneously. Vibrations corresponding to sound and light impulses may be produced in the manner disclosed in Patent No. 1,770,205 to Goldsmith dated July 8, 1930 or in my prior application Serial No. 419,350 filed January 8, 1930.

Another object is to provide an improved pressing system or method of stamper production for vibrations corresponding to light and/or sound impulses. Reference is hereby made to Recorded Programs by A. J. Kendrick on pages 108, 109, 110 and 170 of the August, 1930 issue of Radio News, from which article it appears that a stamper is the negative record or die from which commercial records are duplicated.

Further objects as well as details of construction and operation will be hereinafter brought out in the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating rather diagrammatically one embodiment of my process of recording. a

Figure 2 is a side view showing the process of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-section taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2 and showing one form of recording tape prior to its being chased, ironed, chiseled or otherwise recorded upon. The thickness of the tape is greatly exaggerated.

Figure 4 is a cross-section taken along line 4-4 of Figure'2 and showing the recording tape 5 at the moment it is being recorded upon. I

Figure 5 illustrates cross-sections of two alternative forms of recording tape.

Figure 6 is a fragmental, diagrammatical illustration of a second embodiment of my new process.

Figure '7 is a cross-section taken along line 'l-;--'I of Figure 6.

Figure 7a is a view showing a series of undulations being impressed in. one edge of a tape (greatly exaggerated) by the drawing action of a stylus, which is shown in cross-section.

Figure 8 is a vertical cross-section through a stamper made by my process.

50 Figure 9 is a front view clone form of recording stylus.

Figure 10 is a cross-section taken on line Ifl-IO of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a cross-section taken on line I I--I I of Figure 9.

Figure 12 is a side view of an alternative form of recording stylus.

Figure 13 is a side view of still another form of recording stylus.

The method of my invention consists broadly 5 in chasing, chiseling, ironing, or otherwise forming undulations corresponding to sound and/or light impulses or vibrations upon one or both edges of a thin flexible band of malleable material such as metal. The metal tape after it isrecord- 10 ed upon may be wound upon a roll or spool and reproduced whenever desired by means of a suitable reproducing device as it is rewound upon another roll or spool. A preferable procedure is .to wind the tape upon a suitable core to form a 15 Stamper, thus eliminating all the intermediate steps previously thought necessary in the recording art.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 wherein is illustrated rather diagrammatically the embodiment 20 of my invention wherein is recorded upon each edge of a metal tape a series of undulations corresponding to sound and/or light impulses, the tape I is shown being unwound from a roll or spool 2 and passed between forming rolls 3 and 4 25 to form the middle portion 5 and the thinner edge portions 6 and I. The edge portions 6 and I are each chased, chiseled, ironed, or otherwise provided with a series of undulations 8 and 9 by means of the styli I0 and I I actuated by the 30 diagrammatically illustrated electrodynamic recording devices I2 and "I3. As clearly shown in Figure 2 each series of undulations is in a plane which is perpendicular to that of the metal tape. The elastic or rubber-covered roller I4 is shown 35 supporting the tape as it passes through the re- 0 similar to that in which steel springs are hard ened and tempered.

' Figure 5 showsv two possible alternative crosssections of tapes that may be used in my process, 45 the one indicated by H having tapered edges and the one-indicated by I8 having rounded edges, instead of the thinned edges as illustrated in Figures-3 and 4.

Figures 6, '7 and 7a illustrate two alternative forms of my improved method. In both of these methods, the thinned edge of the tape as it is fed from one spool to the other is straddled by one or the other forked ends 25 or 26 of the stylus 20. In the first method the stylus is given a vertical vibratory movement by means of a suitable electro-dynamic recorder of sound and/or light impulses and thus its forked end 25 produces the series of undulations i9 along the edge 6a of the tape Ia. In the second of these methods, the

stylus 20 has imparted thereto a vibratory movement perpendicular to the plane of the tape lb and thus its end 26 produces the series of hill and dale undulations Na in the edge 61) by a combined twisting and drawing action. The requisite vibratory movement can be produced by means of a suitable form electro-dynamic recording device.

While only oneedge is shown in Figures 6, '7 and 7a. as being recorded upon, either process may well be applied to both edges of the tape. One edge of the tape may be provided with undulations corresponding to sound impulses and the other with undulations corresponding to light impulses, or one or both edges may be impressed with undulations corresponding to both sound and light impulses, i. e. one series of undulations may represent a talking moving picture.

In the first embodiment of my invention, I may use either of the styli shown in Figures 12 and 13. That of Figure 12 is formed with a pointed edge 2| at one end while that of Figure 13 is provided with a pointed end 22 and a button or ball end 23, either one of which may be used for recording.

As has been stated, the stylus 20 shown in Figures 9, 10 and 11 may be used in the second and third embodiments of my method. This stylus has two forked ends 25 and 26, the first of which is used when the undulations are produced in the edge of the tape by a vibratory movement of the stylus in the plane of the tape and the second of which is used when the stylus is vibrated perpendicular to the plane of the tape to produce a series of undulations by a twisting and drawing action on the tape as it is fed through the forked end.

The recorded tape made by any of the above described processes may be reproduced by passing it through a suitable reproducing device while being rewound from one spool onto another. If the tape is to be reproduced in this manner, the step of forming the thinned edge portion shown in Figures 1 and Z may be omitted. Duplicate records of this type may be made by passing the recorded tape through a suitable pressing device in face-to-face contact with a second blank tape. This latter method of making duplicate records may be used to provide a sound track along the edge .of a moving picture film.

My preferred method is to wind the recorded tape about the pin 21 and core 21a .to form the stamper shown in Figure 8. The wound tape may be maintained in its spirally wound form in any suitable manner, as by means of a clamping ring 29. The thinned portions 6 and I thus form the walls of the grooves 28 of the stamper. In the finished record, the thinned portions 6 and I will form the grooves and the grooves 28 of the stamper will form the walls.

' An alternative method of forming a stamper is to wind the tape I after it is provided with the thinned edge portions 6 and 1 into a blank and record thereupon by means of a suitable stylus mounted in a suitable recording device (not shown).

Commercial records may be made in the usual ways known to the art from the stamper made in any of the previously described methods.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a method for directly making the stamper of the recording process with the consequent elimination of the usual intermediate steps previously considered indispensible in the art. The disk stamper made by the method of Figures 1 to 4 results in a lateralcut record while those of Figures 6 and '7 will produce one of the vertical-cut or hill and dale type, and that of Figure 7a. will produce a lateral-cut record.

By my improved methods, I am enabled to produce a record of either the lateral-cut or vertical-cut type which can play for relatively long periods of time. In the case of the "verticalcut" type, the grooves can be spaced as close as five hundred (500) to the inch and the record made of sufiicient diameter to play for as long as seven hours.

Since my records are capable of containing a large amount of program material, it is possible a to record several selections on each side.

The foregoing constitutes the essential and distinctive thought of my invention, but it is to be understood that the same may be combined with various other steps and details without afiecting the peculiar results obtained.

I claim:

1. A method of recording which consists in chasing or engraving a continuous series of lateral undulations in the plane of the edge of a thin tape corresponding to the impulses to be recorded.

2. A method of directly making a stamper which consists in producing an oiT-set edge in a thin strip of material, forming a continuous series of undulations in the off-set edge corresponding I to the impulses to be recorded, treating said strip to set the undulations and winding about a core.

3. A record consisting of a metallic strip, in the plane of whose edge is chased or engraved a continuous series of lateral undulations corresponding to the impulses recorded.

4. A stamperfor sound records consisting of a tempered strip of flexible metal provided along one or both edges with a series of undulations corresponding to the impulses recorded and permanently wound into disk form, the windings being in direct contact.

5. A stamper blank for sound records consisting of a strip of malleable metal permanently wound into disk form, the windings being in direct contact.

6. A stamper blank for sound records consisting of a strip of malleable metal having a thinned edge portion permanently wound into disk form.

said thinned edge serving to form a spiral groove in said disk.

'7. A method of recording on the edge of a moving picture film which consists in passing the unheated film through a pressing device in faceto-face contact with a metallic strip having impressed therein undulations corresponding to the vibrations to be recorded.

8. A method of recording which consists in straddling a thin tape with a bifurcated recording tool and moving said tape as the tool-is vibrated in accordance with the impulses to be recorded.

9. A method of recording which consists in moving a thin tape with its edge in contact with a recording tool which is maintained in a plane 

